Monday, March 26, 2012

Banana Chai Breakfast Cookies



Breakfast used to be my favorite meal of the day, but lately it's been less than exciting. I've been depending on instant oatmeal, and microwavable tofu scramble pocket sandwiches since I have to leave for work so early in the morning. Today's baking project was a step towards making breakfast my favorite meal of the day again-. and what's better than homemade cookies for breakfast?

                  

Banana Chai Breakfast Cookies (Vegan)

1 ripe banana
1/3 cup of canola oil 
2/3 cup of sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour 
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon cinnamon 
1 tablespoon cardamom 
two pinches of salt
2 cups of quick-cooking oatmeal 
1/2 cup of chia seeds



- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
- With a fork, mash the banana
- Add oil, vanilla, sugar to the banana, and mix
- Then, add the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cardamom, salt)
- Mix in oatmeal, and chia seeds
- The dough should be pretty thick, and it might be better to mix with your hands at the point
- Roll out small balls of dough and arrange on your cookie sheet
- Bake for 10 minutes, and let cool



Health benefits: 

- Bananas: high in iron, high in B vitamins, fiber, and potassium
- Canola oil: contains omega-3
- Cinnamon: believed to improve energy, and circulation
- Oatmeal: lowers cholesterol, boosts immune system, rich in fiber, stabilizes blood sugar
- Chia seeds: reduce blood pressure, also contain omega-3, fiber, calcium, iron, and more. 

If you like banana bread and chia tea lattes, you will love these cookies. They're also pretty tasty crumbled up and covered in almond milk as a homemade cereal or granola. Cheers to tasty mornings, enjoy!